1. For a 6" ball or smaller, pour a cup of dry botanicals into a glass or ceramic bowl. Anything larger than rose petals, lavender or lemon peel should be crushed first in a blender, coffee grinder or food processor before gluing to a ball. Some items, such as the star anise and cloves as shown in the photograph, may be glued in place whole by placing them one at a time on the ball.

2. Coat a small area of the ball with a thick layer of glue. Dip the coated area into the bowl of botanicals and press hard. Continue covering small areas of the ball this way until it is completely covered. You may need to let one area dry before moving on to the next.

3. Wrap the waxed paper around the covered ball and press firmly to flatten out the surface as much as possible. Allow them to dry completely before adding ribbon, lace or any other decorations.

4. If you are turning your botanical sphere into a Christmas Tree ornament : Cut a 12" piece of 7/8"-1/4" wide ribbon and tie a knot on both ends. Place the ribbon on the ball and push a greening pin into the Styrofoam ball. When you are read to hang it tie the ribbon ends together.See all the decorative balls